1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing method and an apparatus, for forming an electronic album which includes discrimination of a plurality of images.
2. Description of the Related Arts
Input apparatuses that can capture images as digital data such as digital cameras, mobile telephones with photographing function and PDAs, and the like are prevailing widely. And it is possible to take image data generated with such input apparatus into personal computers (PCs), insert them into template image data provided with decoration frames and backgrounds to make electronic albums and display them on television and monitors; etc., and print them out with printers to appreciate.
Conventionally, such image data are stored in a memory apparatus such as memory card and hard disc etc. with a hierarchical structure (folder) and are managed. And, in forming an electronic album, a user selects with its operation a predetermined folder, so that the whole image data included in the folder undergo processing as subjects to be inserted into the template image data. Therefore, in the case where unnecessary image data are present in the folder, a user is required to work on issuance of instruction to select unnecessary image data manually and delete them after he or she appreciates the electronic album.
In addition, as a process on photographed images, proposals described below have been presented.
At first, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-194575 proposes that an image inputting apparatus determines whether or not blurring has occurred at the time of photographing to proceed with blurring correction prior to storing the photographed images. Moreover, also at the time when the image inputting apparatuses implement focus detection, detection of blurring is proposed.
In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-304628 proposes that a client server system which detects a desired image from image database storing a plurality of images, calculates feature amounts of all the stored images in advance, calculates a degree of image similarity on the basis of those features amounts and the feature amount of image to be searched for and determines the searched subject images.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-87442 proposes detection of exposure, location of an object and blur from image data to evaluate image quality in order to notify a user of his level of photographing skills and assist him/her in improving his/her photographing skills.
Normally, since all the photographed images are stored in the same folder, the folder will include, in its inside, images, that a user would not like to appreciate, such as failed images due to photographing mistakes such as blurring, a plurality of similar images due to rephotographing, and images based on of pixel amounts, compression percentage and print sizes etc. inclusive of characteristics of inputting apparatuses. Therefore, it is not desirable that the whole image data in the selected folder could be subjects to be included in an electronic album without any condition.
In addition, in case of forming an electronic album by automatically inserting image data into template data in accordance with conditions such as an order of photographing date and time, since features etc. of image data are not conventionally taken into consideration in particular, in the case where image frames of a plurality of sizes were present, for example, in the template data, images that are not suitable to appreciate them as large (for example, blurred images) could be inserted into large image frames. Accordingly, at the time of forming an electronic album, a user is required to confirm individual image data in a folder to pick and choose.
In addition, the above described prior art presents problems as follows.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-194575 discloses an electronic camera having blur detection means for detecting values on blurring and blur correction means. This camera is arranged so that a photographing input equipment detects blur in an input photographing equipment at the time of its image taking and makes correction so as to cancel the blur physically. Also in an input equipment with such a blurring correction function, if the absolute amount of blur exceededs a detection discrimination value or correction limit value, it will become unresolvable. In addition, in case of an input apparatus without such a function is originally unresolvable. Moreover, means for detecting and discriminating blur on images that have once recorded as image data is not disclosed.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-304628, subject to expanding of image data, area division is implemented, and color separation is implemented on area basis to calculate feature amounts, and the calculated feature amounts are stored in association with images. And then, sequentially comparing feature amounts of a subject image of similarity discrimination with feature amounts stored in association with individual images stored and managed in a database, images having short inter-image distance are discriminated to be similar. In that method, after expanding a compressed image, the feature amount data are required to be calculated on designated area basis and color component basis. Therefore, information processing amount and used memory area will increase and it appears to be difficult to actually use an apparatus such as an incorporated apparatus etc. that are poor in resources such as information processing capacity and memory etc.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-304628, it is an object thereof to evaluate image quality with analysis on exposure, position of a subject, balance and a out-of-focus state etc. so as to discriminate image quality to be good or bad. However, a method of utilizing the evaluation result is limited to displaying and advice of the evaluation result to the photographer. Although image improvement on photographing in the future is expected, treatment of already photographed images that have become evaluation subjects and a reflection method of how to reflect the treatment in an album and the like are not notified to the photographer at all, and therefore the evaluation result cannot be reflected onto utilization of the already photographed images.